BBC SPORT | Sochi given 2014 Winter Olympics Sochi given 2014 Winter Olympics Many in Sochi partied all night after hearing the announcement The Russian resort of Sochi has been chosen to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, beating South Korea's Pyeongchang. Sochi secured 51 votes at a meeting of International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegates in Guatemala, beating its South Korean rival by just four votes. In earlier voting, the third contender, Salzburg in Austria, was eliminated. The presidents of all three candidate countries had attended the meeting to plead their countries' cases. Russian joy at the announcement Russian President Vladimir Putin was credited with helping Sochi's bid, after he addressed delegates in three languages - English, Spanish and French. It is believed to be the first time the Russian leader has been heard speaking English at a public ceremony. For Salzburg and Pyeongchang, this was their second consecutive defeat. Both had lost out in the bidding for the 2010 Winter Games, which will be held in the Canadian city of Vancouver. The 20th Winter Games took place in Turin in Italy in 2006.

Joy and disappointment The announcement prompted celebrations in Sochi, where fireworks were let off above jubilant crowds in the central square. In pictures: Joy and agony Many people partied through the night after the news broke at 0300 local time (2300 GMT). "We needed this victory," Pavel Ostrovsky told Reuters news agency. "For the whole country, this is a great resurgence." In Pyeongchang meanwhile, a giant television screen near the city hall relayed the announcement to a dejected crowd, many of whom wept openly. "It's worse than four years ago, because this time we really thought we would win," restaurant owner Son Chang-min told the Associated Press news agency, referring to an earlier unsuccessful bid for the winter Olympics. The mood in the Austrian city of Salzburg was similarly despondent. A small crowd gathered in a city park and jeered as the result was announced. "It's so disappointing... Hope dies last," Peter Rittinger, a student, told the AP news agency.

'Spectacular show' Russia's President Vladimir Putin, a keen skier, said that in Sochi 70% of athletes would live within five minutes' walk of the venues, so there would be no traffic problems. Salzburg residents did not hide their disappointment The Black Sea resort has a unique combination of spring-like weather and cold temperatures in the nearby Krasnaya Polyana mountains, which President Putin said would guarantee snow. "Winter sports are popular in Russia and our sportsmen have won many competitions and have made a big contribution to the Olympic movement," he said. "But we have never won the honour to celebrate the Winter Olympic Games. "You know we can turn sports competitions into a really spectacular show and we are good at it." Rome is set to apply to host the 2020 Summer Olympics instead of bidding for the 2016 Games. "Our view is that it is highly unlikely that there will be three European Olympic Games in succession," Rome mayor Walter Veltroni said. Rome, which hosted the 1960 Olympics, lost out to Athens for the 2004 Games.

Bookmark with: The 14 most fascinating facts about the final 2014 Winter Olympics medal count | For The Win The 14 most fascinating facts about the final 2014 Winter Olympics medal count The 14 most fascinating facts about the final 2014 Winter Olympics medal count By Chris Chase February 23, 2014 10:19 am Follow @firechrischase 210k shares Follow @firechrischase (USA TODAY Sports Images) The competition ended Sunday at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Which nation ruled the medal count? How did the United States fare? Which athletes went home with the biggest haul? And just how dominant was the Dutch speedskating team? For The Win answers those questions, and many more, with the 14 most interesting facts about the final Winter Olympics medal count. 1. Russia ruled Russia (USA TODAY Sports Images) No matter the metric, the host nation won a decisive medal-count victory . Russia won 13 gold medals in Sochi, two more than runner-up Norway. Overall, Russian athletes won 33 medals, five more than the United States’ 28.

It’s the first time the host nation swept both medal counts since Norway did it at the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo. 2. United States is king of the bronze USA TODAY Sports It didn’t look good for the United States. No medals in individual figure skating for the first time since 1936. No medals in speedskating for the first time since 1984. The four most identifiable Winter Olympians — Shaun White, Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Shani Davis — won a total of one bronze medal. (In Vonn’s defense, she wasn’t competing in Sochi due to injury.) The women’s hockey team blew a late 2-0 lead in the gold-medal game and the men’s team was outscored 6-0 in the medal rounds. Still, it wasn’t all bad. American athletes won 28 medals, good for second on the overall medal count. (That was nine fewer medals than the U.S. won in Vancouver, however.) Team USA’s 12 bronze medals were the most for any nation. It’s the third time in the past four Winter Olympics the Americans have won that tally. 3.

Dutch (speedskating) masters (USA TODAY Sports Images) The speedskating team from The Netherlands won 23 medals (eight gold, seven silver, eight bronze). Among the remarkable aspects of that achievement: a. The Dutch speedskating team alone would have finished sixth on the overall medal count. b. While the Dutch won 23 medals on the oval, all other nations won 13 medals combined. c. Since 1998, no other country has won more golds in speedskating than the Dutch won in Sochi. (The U.S. and Germany had seven each.) d. They did this all with just 41 athletes in Sochi. Canada earned one more medal with 180 more athletes. e. The Netherlands only won one more medal in the Olympics. It came in short-track speedskating, of course. 4. The rise and fall of Germany (USA TODAY Sports Images) For the early days of the Winter Games, Germany led the gold-medal count, thanks to a dominating performance in luge.

(German lugers won all four golds in the luge events.) But once luge ended, it was all downhill from there, as Germany ended up finishing sixth in both medal counts. That’s the worst performance for any post-Berlin Wall German team and the worst for a main German Olympic squad in 46 years. 5. The Dutch did the most with the least The Dutch team at the Opening Ceremony. (AP) We’ve listed the medal count by golds, total medals and per-capita rates . So how about medals per athlete in Sochi? Winning 10 medals with 100 athletes is more impressive than winning 12 medals with 200 athletes, right? It’s no surprise the Netherlands leads this total, with 24 medals from 41 athletes equaling one medal for every 1.7 competitors. Belarus was second (six medals for 24 competitors; 1 for 4), followed by Norway (every 5.15 athletes), France (7) and Russia (7.03). The worst medal-per-athlete rate was Slovakia, which won a single medal for its 62 athletes.

Croatia was the smallest delegation to medal, winning one with just 11 athletes. The biggest delegations not to medal in Sochi? Romania and Estonia were shutout with 24 athletes each. 6. Belarus comes out of nowhere Belarus won more medals in the 15k biathlon than from 2002-06. (USA TODAY Sports Images) In its only five Olympics prior to Sochi, the former Soviet Republic earned a total of one gold medal and never finished better than 15th in the medal count. In Sochi, Belarusian athletes won five golds and finished eighth in the medal count. Just by herself, biathlete Darya Domracheva (three gold medals) did better in Sochi than her entire nation had done at the five previous Winter Olympics. 7. Come on, Spain, Chinese Tapei and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, pull your weight. (USA TODAY Sports Images) Through 44 events, 26 nations won medals at the Winter Olympics, which tied the record set at both the 2006 and 2010 Winter Games. After 98 events, 26 nations won medals at the Winter Olympics.

The record remained. (Stat via @nzaccardi ). 8. The no-medal gold medalists Iceland didn’t medal in Sochi. ICE-land didn’t medal at the Winter Olympics. That’s like, I don’t know, the sun getting shut out at the Summer Olympics. But this isn’t as unexpected as you’d think. Though it’s baffling on all levels, Iceland has actually never medaled at any Winter Games. The tiny nation sent just five athletes to Sochi and none finished better than 34th in their respective events. While it’s no surprise countries like Brazil, Lebanon and Togo didn’t get medals in Sochi, the lack of success of a few nations might raise an eyebrow. Belgium, for instance, has won just one medal since 1952 and Denmark only has one medal ever. 9. Mikaela Shiffrin pulled a Michael Phelps (USA TODAY Sports Images) As noted by Alan Abrahamson , skiing’s up-and-coming star finished fifth in her first Olympic race. In her second, she won gold. Phelps pulled the same feat in the Summer Games (over his first two appearances). 10.

Speaking of Phelps … (USA TODAY Sports Images) Two years after the swimming star became the most decorated Summer Olympian in history, Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen became the most decorated Winter Olympian in history, winning his 13th carer medal in Sochi. That moved him past his countryman and fellow Bjoern, Bjoern Daehlie. Not to be outdone, another Norwegian cross-country skier, Marit Bjoergen, became the most decorated female Winter Olympian ever. She won her sixth career gold in Sochi. 11. Russian transplants named Vic pay off (USA TODAY Sports Images) Viktor Ahn, a South Korean speedskater who defected to Russia after the Vancouver Games, won three gold medals and a bronze in short track speedskating, making him the most decorated athlete in Sochi. Another foreign-born Russian athlete, American Vic Wild, won two golds in snowboard. Together, the Vic transplants would have finished a combined eighth on the overall medal count. The other three-time gold medalists in Sochi: Bjoergen and Domracheva. 12. Who went home with the most hardware?

(Getty Images) Which athlete won the most medals in Sochi? Would a Dutch speedskater suprise you? Ireen Wust took home five medals from Russia, winning two golds and three silvers. That was the biggest haul for any athlete and more than all but 19 nations. Norwegian biathlete Tora Berger and Suk Hee Shim, a Korean short-track skater, had the Olympic rainbow award, winning gold, silver and bronze at these Winter Games. The hard-luck athlete in Sochi was Russian cross-country skier Maxim Vylegzhanin. He won three silvers, the final two coming in races that totaled 2 hours, 13 minutes. In those, he was a combined 1.68 seconds away from gold. 13. Americans didn’t double-up (USA TODAY Sports Images) Only two Americans won multiple medals in Sochi. Meryl Davis and Charlie White won bronze in the team figure skating competition and a historic gold in the ice dancing. The one gold and one bronze tied them for 39th on the individual medal count. 14. Who ruled each sport?

(USA TODAY Sports Images) Which nations won the medal counts for the 15 sports at the 2014 Winter Olympics? It was largely spread out, with nine different countries being atop the 15 different sports. Alpine skiing — Austria (3 gold/4 silver/2 bronze) Biathlon — Norway (3/1/2) Sochi, Russia to host 2014 Winter Olympics - Wikinews, the free news source Sochi, Russia to host 2014 Winter Olympics From Wikinews, the free news source you can write! Jump to: navigation , search Friday, July 6, 2007 The International Olympic Committee awarded the XXII Winter Olympics , to be held in 2014 , to Sochi , Russia , a resort city near the Black Sea, in Guatemala City yesterday defeating Pyeongchang , South Korea , by just four votes. Salzburg , Austria , was eliminated in the first round by 25 votes. According to the Associated Press, several factors played a part in Sochi's win. One factor was that of Russian president Vladimir Putin himself.

Putin, an avid skier and a black belt in judo, traveled to Guatemala to lobby IOC members and headed up the final presentation of Sochi's bid to the assembly. "Putin being here was very important, he worked very hard at it. He was nice. He spoke French -- he never speaks French. He spoke English -- he never speaks English," said French IOC member and former ski champion Jean-Claude Killy. Patrick Hickey, an Irish member of the IOC agreed. "There's no doubt that President Putin's presence was a massive influence, his performance was superb. He was humble. He spoke in English and French. The second most powerful man in the world said everything will be delivered." Juan Antonio Samaranch , former IOC president and Spanish ambassador to Russia made a big push for Sochi, which may have swung some key votes according to some IOC members. "This is, without doubt, not just a recognition of Russia's sporting achievements but it is, beyond any doubt, a judgment on our country, it is a recognition of our growing capability, first of all economically and socially," Putin stated upon his return to Russia.

Another factor is Russia's brand new wealth from exports of Russian natural gas and oil, which provided over $12 billion for Putin to invest in the Games and the infrastructure around Sochi. Russia last hosted the games in 1980 in Moscow , when the country was known as the Soviet Union . The games were boycotted by the United States and some of its allies over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan . The United States continues to spar with Russia over human rights abuses and the subjugation of democratic freedoms. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack spoke in Washington to reporters stating, "Well, it's a proud moment for Russia and I am sure it's a proud moment for him so he can characterize it as he sees fit, I'm not sure that the selection of Russia to host the Winter Olympics really, at this point, changes our view or others' views -- or concerns -- about the direction of democracy and related issues: human rights, respect for freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and to be able to peaceably organize opposition democratic parties." Meanwhile, Sochi has announced that progress of construction on venues in Sochi will be offered online.

Dmitri Chernyshenko, Sochi 2014's bid leader said, "The IOC will be online every single moment in terms of construction, there will be live video from all construction sites." The next Olympic bid is for the 2016 Summer Olympics which includes bids from Chicago , Tokyo , Madrid , Rio de Janeiro , Doha , Baku , and Prague . Sources Winter Olympics 2014: Why Sochi is such a unique host for the Games | The Independent Olympics Winter Olympics 2014: Why Sochi is such a unique host for the Games The events may seem strange enough from the comfort of your living room, but that’s nothing compared to the oddity of the place itself Friday 14 February 2014 19:49 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Visitors enjoy the sun at Rosa Khutor village near the mountain cluster Getty Images On a warm evening in Sochi, artist Marc Ahr was working on a watercolour panorama of the Winter Games at an outdoor cafe in the heart of the coastal Olympic venue.

The St Petersburg-based artist, who has painted every Olympics since 1992, said he barely recognised Sochi from when he came here to scope it out last year. “I was so distressed by what I saw then,” Mr Ahr said. “I didn’t see what I could paint because there was nothing here.” Designed as a grandiose party for Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the Olympics have placed this languid beach resort town on the international map virtually overnight, pumping it full of new hotels, highways and garish sporting venues. Foreigners, once a rare sight among the sunburned tourists from inner Russia, have descended on the city, giving the downtown area an oddly cosmopolitan feel. Outside the sporting venues, the city has taken on a carnival atmosphere, visible in everything from the policemen standing on every corner to the journalists who swarm the town’s gay club. Here The Independent takes a look at some of the things that make Sochi such a unique host for the Games.

Clash of cultures This is not the first time Sochi has been catapulted to prominence: After Joseph Stalin built a dacha here in 1937, the town became a favourite vacation spot for both party elites and proletarian workers, filling up with health spas designed in the Stalinist Empire style. While the Olympic clusters on the coast and in the mountains have been built from scratch, the fans who have had to seek lodging in other parts of Sochi have encountered a typical Black Sea beach town, full of unusual sights. The promenade along the pebble beaches in the Adler district is lined with stands selling barbecued meat on skewers, simple cafés with mayonnaise-laden “salads”, shops selling beer and smoked fish or sweetened wine on tap, and sunbathing platforms built on the cement groynes that extend from the shore every 20m. Tourists should beware of the well-tanned men offering photographs with exotic creatures like monkeys, parrots or eagles, as they’ll demand a fee once you snap the shutter.

Language lessons Wendy Wickstrom, a sports fan from California who has gone to every Olympics since the Atlanta Summer Games in 1996, said she typically communicated with Russians “only when I pull out my phone and translate”. She has gone out on the town a few times, but said the party scene wasn’t quite as good as the London Olympics. But Fukai Takayuki, from Japan, on his way to watch the men’s figure-skating, admitted the Russians’ superior drinking prowess. “They are very strong,” he said. Slava, from Chelyabinsk, was waving a Russian flag featuring a picture of his home town’s famous meteorite. He said the shared bond of the fan was greater than any language barrier. “Of course, I communicate with everyone,” he said. “I’m into sports.” Behind the scenes The Olympic Village, in the coastal and mountain clusters, houses more than 7,000 athletes from all over the world. An Olympic Village employee, who asked not to be named since she is not allowed to speak to the press, said that athletes typically socialised in the cafeteria or on the buses that ferried them across the sprawling grounds.

The athletes, coaches and officials staying in the village come in two types, she said –those who think the service and accommodation are great, usually people from smaller countries, and those who complain about every little thing. “The Russians complain the most of all,” she said. “They have lots of requests; they think they should feel at home … They go on about insignificant complaints instead of concentrating on competing.” However, the staff can be guilty of annoying the athletes as well, she said, and volunteers at the village have been admonished numerous times for asking for too many photographs and autographs. Sex is always a big part of Olympic Village life, and Sochi seems to be no exception. This week, the US snowboarder Jamie Anderson suggested that athletes were spending much of their down time on the hook-up app Tinder. Previous reports said Olympic Committee officials would be distributing 100,000 condoms to athletes. Out and proud While the athletes are keeping much of their recreational activities confined to the Olympic Village, the sizable contingent of journalists at the Games have decided to mix work and play at Sochi’s most popular gay club, Mayak, which has featured in countless Olympic stories.

The venue’s owner, Andrei Tanichev, said he gave interviews almost every day and the number of journalists and other out-of-towners in his club had risen dramatically in the lead-up to the Games. “There are a lot of foreigners, they appeared when the Olympic venues appeared,” Tanichev said. “We had to raise our entrance fees.” Mayak and Sochi’s other gay club, Zerkala, offer nightly shows by drag queens. Performers often ask who is in the audience on any given night, and foreign guests typically get an extra wink or even a kiss. Police state Another fact of life in Sochi is the ubiquitous security presence. Up to 100,000 law enforcement, security service and army personnel are reportedly patrolling the Sochi region during the Olympics in an effort to prevent any terrorism spilling over from the restive North Caucasus region next door. A police officer can be seen at nearly every major road junction. Also on patrol at major transport hubs are some 800 Cossacks, members of the military caste that has seen a resurgence in recent years, especially in the Krasnodar Territory that includes Sochi, where the local governor is himself a Cossack colonel.

Meanwhile, people in the mountain cluster have reported seeing snipers in snow-camouflage uniforms up in the hills. “If you go off to take a piss, you’ll probably be stopped by a police officer. The next level out is the security service personnel, and then come the special forces,” said Alexei Petrov, a Sochi taxi driver and former army officer. All dogs go to heaven? Before the Olympics, stray dogs, not police, were Sochi’s most ubiquitous sight. But in the lead-up to the Games, reports emerged that city hall had hired a private company to trap as many stray canines as possible before the event, provoking an outpouring of support for the animals. Activists began ferrying dogs to Moscow, and an oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, paid for many of the estimated 2,000 dogs to be taken to a temporary shelter. Not everyone misses the dogs, however. Sochi’s equally sizable population of stray cats now has the run of the town for sunbathing. But despite all the strange happenings around the Games, Mr Ahr praised the festive atmosphere and the fan support. “I feel the whole country is behind these Games,” he said.

“People have come from all over the country, more than in any other Olympics. It makes it feel like the Summer Games.” Sochi: Will Russia benefit from the 2014 Winter Olympics? | Russia Direct Sochi: Will Russia benefit from the 2014 Winter Olympics? Feb 7, 2014Russia Direct Team Video This January Russia Direct published a special report dedicated to the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Contributing author Ivan Timofeev, who is also the program director at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), spoke with Russia Direct about Sochi’s impact on Russia’s image abroad, and what could keep the country from enjoying future benefits from hosting the Games. To what extent will Russia benefit from the Sochi Olympics. Photo: Getty Images / Photobank As the 2014 Winter Olympics kick off in the Black Sea coastal resort of Sochi amid controversy over the city’s readiness and the cost of the Games, Russia Direct spoke with Ivan Timofeev, program director at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), to learn how the event might influence Russia’s image abroad.

Timofeev believes Russia will benefit from hosting the Games in the long run if it can use new infrastructure to bring long-term economic gain, especially from tourism. Failure to do so will make any benefits short-lived, Timofeev says. Video by Pavel Inzhelevsky Russia Direct: In what way is Russia different from previous nations that have hosted the Winter Olympics? Ivan Timofeev: For Russia, the Olympic challenge is much more complex than it was for countries that hosted the Games in previous years. This is a complex task for Russia due to at least three reasons. First, the image of Russia is still quite contradictory abroad. So Russia is by the task of improvement of its external image. That was not actually the problem for Italy, Canada, or the U.S. After the Cold War, the image of Russia remains quite controversial. It is an image of extremes. The Games provide us a chance to improve, at least a bit, our image abroad. This is quite a tricky task. The second challenge is the foreign policy challenge because the Olympic games are a big international event. Naturally, it is a part of international politics in terms of soft power, in terms of public diplomacy, etc. You name it.

Again, Russia’s role in the world is quite complex. Russia is getting back to the club of great powers, in a good sense. The international context of these games is very important for Russia. If you compare the context of the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980, you’ll understand what I mean. At that time the international environment was much less comfortable for the Soviet Union than for Russia now. This time the situation is better but still there are challenges. It was a challenge for Russian diplomacy to provide comfortable foreign policy conditions for these games. The third challenge is a long-term challenge. It is the challenge of developing the Krasnodarsky Region, where Sochi is situated. For Russia, this is not a one-event project. This is a long-term task of regional development. It is the development of the entire Caucasian region. If Russia manages to make Sochi a globally attractive city, the task of the Olympics will be fulfilled. The Olympic games are, in this sense, only the first step in the long road toward making this region globally attractive of this transition from the region of challenges to the region of opportunities for the world. RD: Let’s go back to the idea of Russia’s image before the Olympics.

Late last year, President Vladimir Putin released former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Pussy Riot’s members from prison. Many say this was done specifically before the Olympics to improve Russia’s image abroad. Why is it so important for Russia to improve its image right before the Olympics? I. T.: I won’t sign on to the idea that Khodorkovsky and Pussy Riot were released just for the sake of the Olympic games and for the Olympic image. Yes, improving Russia’s image is an important task, yet it’s constantly important task. It is not related just to the Olympic image. I wouldn’t be so focused on this correlation between Khodorkovsky’s and Pussy Riot’s release and the Olympic games. This is a part of the Russian political process, which is partly related to Olympics. RD: How will the image of Russia change after the Sochi Olympics? I.T.: Again, it will depend on the future prospects of the development of the region. If the Olympic Games stimulate the development processes, and if the city of Sochi becomes a center of international tourism, if the whole region benefits from economic processes and development, then the image of Russia abroad will naturally change for the better.

And, of course, If Russian journalists and Russian press promote the real situation abroad properly. However, if we get white elephants after these games, if this huge infrastructure is not utilized after the games, if we fail to utilize it for the sake of Russian sports, then, we will not benefit at all, no matter how good the publicity may be. It is clear that the image impact of these games will be closely correlated with the prospects of the development for the region, the economic development and social impact of these games on the region. RD: You also write that the Olympics will be a symbol of how relations between Russia and the world have changed over the last decade. Can you elaborate on this idea? I.T.: In my view, to answer this question one needs to look at the articles and books about Russia that were published in the 1990s. For instance, take the forecast of the American National Intelligence Council, which published scenarios for the future development of different countries. In the end of the 1990s, analysts looking at Russia were very negative about the future. They thought Russia was an empty spot of the map, Russia a fragile state. At that point in time, they were right probably.

But, apparently, Russia returned. Russia demonstrated significant economic growth and became confident on the international arena. And what has been even more important is that Russia’s international behavior has not been similar to that of the Soviet Union. Yes, Russia returned to the club, to the big game. It returned as a partner, not as a foe. Of course, there are contradictions with other partners. Some of our interests do not intersect. This is natural for international politics. This is natural for other countries. I would stress two fundamental features of the international context. First, Russia is quite confident in the international arena, and it has the potential to bolster this confidence. Second, Russia’s interactions with its international partners are not a zero-sum game. It’s not a zero-sum game, but rather something else. This is a very important point of context, I think. Sochi 2014 Winter Games Olympics - results & video highlights Official Reports arrow Action everywhere, from the Black Sea coast to the Krasnaya Polyana mountains. Superb competition venues for spectacular events, historic performances and numerous records – the XXII Olympic Winter Games kept all their promises.

Here are the most memorable athlete exploits that took place in Sochi between 6 and 23 February 2014: At 10.55 p.m. on Friday 7 February 2014, Russian three-time Olympic champions Irina Rodnina (pairs figure skating) and Vladislav Tretiak (ice hockey) lit the Olympic cauldron. Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen, winner of the sprint 10km and the new Olympic event, mixed relay, brought his medal count to 13, after starting at the Nagano Games in 1998 (8 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze). He thus overtook his compatriot, Bjørn Daehlie, to become the Olympic Winter Games athlete with the most medals.

Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen won three more gold medals in Sochi (skiathlon, team sprint and 30km freestyle), making a total of six since her first title in Vancouver in 2010, as well as a total of 10 medals won since the Games in Salt Lake City in 2002, becoming one of the Olympic Winter Games female athlete with the most medals (with Smetanina and Belmondo). In Alpine skiing, gold medals were won by the youngest-ever Olympic champion in the history of the discipline, American Mikaela Shiffrin, 18 years and 345 days old, and the oldest, Austria’s Mario Matt, aged 34 and 10 months. American Bode Miller, third in the Super-G at the age of 36 years and 127 days, became the oldest-ever medallist in his discipline. Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, 15 years and 73 days old, became the youngest ever medallist on the snow in the history of the Games, when he won the silver medal in the snowboard half-pipe competition.

Russian luger Albert Demchenko and Japanese ski jumping champion Noriaki Kasai, both in their forties, were competing in their seventh edition of the Games, both winning two medals in Sochi. Kasai also equalled the record for the longest interval between two (silver) medals: 20 years! Like Marit Bjørgen, Belarusian biathlete Darya Domracheva and Russian short-track speed skater Victor An won three gold medals at the XXII Olympic Winter Games. But the athlete who won the most medals at these Games was Ireen Wüst, with five speed skating medals (two gold, three silver)! Ireen Wüst was a member of the Netherlands speed skating team which won 23 medals, achieved four top-three clean sweeps and was present on every one of the 12 podiums, men’s and women’s alike. A unique domination of one discipline at the Games. For the first time in figure skating, the 100-point barrier was broken in a short programme, by Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu (101.45), who went on to win the gold medal.

Bronze medallist in 1994, silver in 1998, gold in 2002 and 2006 and bronze in 2010 and 2014, Italian luger Armin Zöggeler became the first athlete to win six consecutive medals in six editions of the Winter Games. The first winners of the 12 new Olympic events were: Russia (team figure skating), Germany (luge relay), Norway (biathlon mixed relay), Germany’s Carina Voigt (women’s ski jumping), Canadian Dara Howell and American Joss Christensen (ski slopestyle), Americans Maddie Bowman and David Wise (ski half-pipe), Jamie Anderson and Sage Kotsenburg (snowboard slopestyle), Austrian’s Julia Dujmovits and Russian Vic Wild (snowboard parallel slalom). The 2014 Olympic Winter Games were the first time that the Russian Federation hosts the Winter Games; the Soviet Union hosted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow. The host city Sochi has a population of 400,000 people and is situated in Krasnodar, which is the third largest region in Russia.

The Games were organised in two clusters: a coastal cluster for ice events in Sochi, and a mountain cluster located in the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains. This made it one of the most compact Games ever, with around 30 minutes travel time from the coastal to mountain cluster. The Sochi Olympic Park was built along the Black Sea coast in the Imeretinskaya Valley, where all the ice venues such as the Bolshoi Ice Palace, the Maly Ice Palace, the Olympic Oval, the Sochi Olympic Skating Centre, the Olympic Curling Centre, the Central Stadium, the Main Olympic Village and the International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre, had been built anew for the 2014 Games. The Park ensured a very compact concept with an average distance of 6km between the Olympic Village and the other coastal venues. The mountain cluster in Krasnaya Polyana was home to all the skiing and sliding sports. The mountain concept was again a very compact one with only an average distance of 4km between the mountain sub-village and the venues. There was also a sub-media centre in the mountain cluster.

88 National Olympic Committees + 1 independant Olympic Participant participated in the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, a new record. Six countries participated for the first time in the Olympic Winter Games – Malta, Paraguay, Timor Leste, Togo, Tonga and Zimbabwe. A record number of 2,780 athletes were entered, more than 40 per cent of whom were women. Twelve new events were contested: team figure skating, luge relay, biathlon mixed relay, women’s ski jumping, snowboard and ski slopestyle (men and women), ski half-pipe (men and women) and snowboard parallel slalom (men and women). Ninety-eight titles in 15 disciplines were awarded in Sochi. Medals were won by athletes from 26 National Olympic Committees. More than 2,500 doping tests were performed, in the largest detection campaign in the history of the Olympic Winter Games. More than 1.1 million tickets were sold. For a record 102,000 hours of broadcasting on all platforms (television and digital), the potential number of viewers during the Games was 4.1 billion.

There was more social media activity than ever, with more than 2.2 million new followers on all platforms, and a total 7.7 million Facebook fans. The Election of Sochi Sochi was elected on 4 July 2007 by the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 119th Session in Guatemala City. Seven cities, namely Sochi (Russian Federation), Salzburg (Austria), Jaca (Spain), Almaty (Kazakhstan), PyeongChang (Republic of Korea), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Borjomi (Georgia) - in the order of drawing of lots - initially submitted applications to host the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Based on the report by a working group, three of the seven cities were unanimously selected by the IOC’s Executive Board as Candidate Cities at its meeting on 22 June 2006: Sochi (Russian Federation) Salzburg (Austria) PyeongChang (Republic of Korea) The final decision on the host city for the XXII Olympic Winter Games was made by the full IOC membership during the 119th IOC Session in Guatemala City on 4 July 2007.

Sochi was elected in the second round with 51 votes, compared to PyeongChang’s 47. 119th IOC Session, 4 July 2007, Guatemala City: Election of the Host City of the XXII Olympic Winter Games Round 25 The notions of simplicity and modernity are at the root of the design of the official emblem for the Games in Sochi. For the first time, there was no image or drawn elements but rather a typographical exercise, featuring the novel inclusion of the internet address on the first line of text. Below, the figure 2014 next to the Olympic rings vertically mirrors the letters of the word Sochi. “To prove our commitment to innovation, the Sochi 2014 emblem is clearly digital”, explained Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of the Organising Committee for the XXII Olympic Winter Games. “Today we welcome tomorrow. Our emblem challenges people to look beyond what they expect from our country.

We believe sochi2014.ru can become an international symbol of a sporting, social, economic and environmental legacy that lasts for generations.” The medals of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi symbolise the mosaic of national designs from the various cultures and ethnicities that make up the Russian Federation. In them, we see the Sochi landscape bathed in the sun’s rays, which shine through the snowy summits onto the sandy beaches of the Black Sea. The work of a master craftsman, mixing metal and polycarbonate, the medals blend lightness and beauty, which makes them even more special for the “lucky few” who won them. These medals have several peculiarities. For example, the Olympic rings are reproduced on the obverse, while the name of the event in English and the emblem of the Sochi Games are engraved on the reverse. Finally the official title of the Games “XXII OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES” is written in Russian, English and French on the edge. The Olympic medals weigh between 460 and 531 grams depending on which metal is used – gold, silver or bronze. They measure 100mm in diameter and are 10mm thick.

Some 1,300 medals were produced for the 2014 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Sochi. The Hare, the Polar Bear and the Leopard There are three mascots in a nod to the three places on the Olympic podium. Duration: 123 days, from 7 October 2013 to 7 February 2014 Distance: 65 000km More info The official poster captures the essence of the Games in Sochi. The Caucasian Mountains soar majestically above the Black Sea, symbolising the two competition clusters, one on the coast in Sochi, even for the ice events, and the other in the Krasnaya Polyana valley, for the snow, bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events. The emblem of the XXII Olympic Winter Games occupies the whole of the centre, with its unusual feature: the presence of the internet address, a symbol of modernity, innovation and dynamism. At the top is the slogan, “Hot. Cool. Yours.” “Hot”, for the intensity of the sporting competition, the passion of the spectators and the location of these Games, in southern Russia.

“Cool” is a reference to the Winter Games and the traditional image of Russia as having a cold climate. The last word, “Yours”, shows that the Games belong to the athletes and the public, and that everyone can get involved in making them a success. The Official Report of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi 2014 This is a commemorative book (volume 2 of the official report, available on CD 2, only English-Russian bilingual). Winter Games in Russia: Who Will Benefit from the Sochi Olympics? - SPIEGEL ONLINE Winter Games in Russia: Who Will Benefit from the Sochi Olympics? Winter Games in Russia Who Will Benefit from the Sochi Olympics? Russia is celebrating its victorious bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympic games in Sochi, but the country must still invest billions in order to equip the city for the Olympics. In the end, critics fear, the richest will profit. Meanwhile, anti-Olympics protests are already being quashed.

By Simone Schlindwein in Moscow July 05, 2007 06:21 PM Feedback AP Not all smiles: After the 2014 Olympics close, Sochi will become a domain of Russia's richest -- a world-class ski resort commoners cannot afford. "I never thought we had a chance of winning," says a jubilant Regina Walejewa, a Russian marketing expert in Moscow. It's 3:19 a.m. and International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, many time zones away in Guatemala, has just announced that Sochi has been chosen to host the 2014 Winter Games. Like many people across Russia, Walejewa stayed up late on Wednesday night to watch the live results. Throughout the evening, Russian TV stations broadcast the latest news from the IOC's vote in Guatemala City. "We won," the presenter of one sports channel said repeatedly, almost as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. Few in Russia had much faith in their prospects for success. They kept thinking of recent disputes between Moscow and the West and the fact that Russia had already submitted previous bids for the Winter Olympics without ever winning.

Reprints Find out how you can reprint this SPIEGEL ONLINE article. In Sochi, tens of thousands gathered awaiting the decision on a large square in front of the city's main theatre. International musicians, including German pop star Thomas Anders from Modern Talking, performed in an effort to make the tense wait a little easier. When it finally came, eruptions of joy could be heard everywhere: "Sochi, Sochi, Russia," the crowd screamed as the decision was beamed onto a giant screen in the square. Salzburg had already dropped out of the running with the fewest votes in the first round on Wednesday. And Russian President Vladimir Putin had already departed in his jet for Moscow when news came that the southern Russian city Sochi had beaten out Pyeongchang in South Korea. He had traveled to Guatemala on Monday to support the Russian delegation as it promoted its bid. "If everything is done honestly in Guatemala, then we will have the best chance," Putin said before the vote. It was a reference to incidents reported earlier at the Real Intercontinental Hotel in Guatemala City. The Russian media is claiming that articles about human rights violations in Russia were pushed under the doors of hotel rooms of IOC members in order to turn the decision-makers against Putin.

The Russian president described the incidents as "sabotage." But the Russian delegation also faced the uncomfortable allegation that it had "bought" the Winter Olympics. The Russian government spent more than $30 million on advertising and celebrations promoting its bid. The cost of mounting the two-week Winter Games is expected to cost over $1.5 billion. But, as Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Shukov said, money won't be an issue. Which is just as well -- because an estimated $12 billion will also have to be raised through public and private sources just to make Sochi's infrastructure conform to international standards. Entire apartment blocks in the city, with its population of 330,000, don't even have electricity or gas. There aren't enough hotels or training and sporting venues to host the Olympic events. Almost everything will have to be built from scratch. To that end, the Russians are planning to build what are being described as 19 massive "bed mountains" that can host up to 29,000 guests, new ski slopes, lifts and sporting venues. Of the three cities that made the final round, though, Sochi is by far the worst prepared to host the Olympics.

The amount of money Russia plans to invest in order to hold the Olympics is also higher than the entire national budget for education, health and family policy together. Moscow says the government will cover two-thirds of the costs. The rest is expected to come from private investments from oligarchic corporations that are always pleased to lend the Kremlin a hand. Back in October, Putin announced that energy giant Gazprom is prepared to pay $180 million for the privilege of becoming the event's main sponsor. Oleg Deripaska, one of the world's largest aluminum producers, wants to invest 620 million to build the Olympic Village as well as ice skating and sporting venues. The company has also purchased Sochi airport, which it plans to transform into a modern international facility. Vladimir Potanin, who heads the holding company Interros and is considered one of Russia's leading businessmen, has also pledged to invest 230 million. The company is planning to turn its own retreat in the Caucasus mountains into a ski resort. Of course, the oligarch's investments are anything but altruistic -- they're hoping the investment will turn a profit in the long-term. The prospects could be good, too.

Sochi's Olympic bid has already led to a real estate boom along the Russian Black Sea coast. And Russian oligarchs and investors aren't the only ones who have the potential to make money from the mega-project. "Foreign firms are also planning to strengthen their investments in southern Russia," Regina Valeyeva announces, full of a pride that doesn't just stem from a sense of patriotism. She works as marketing coordinator for the Swiss firm Sika. The company produces concrete additives that will be used in the construction of the walls of a highway tunnel in Sochi. "My company has a huge contract there," she says. But critics see the mass investment planned for Sochi as just increasing the country's growing divide between rich and poor. Alexander Doskoy, mayor of Arkhangelsk, told the radio station Echo of Moscow the investments would harm other regions in the Russian Federation. "If such enormous sums were made available to fix apartments in need of repair, a lot of people in Russia would be thankful," he said. That, says, Valeyeva, is the constant problem in Russia -- the rich are the only ones to profit from projects like this. "In the longterm, Sochi will only be affordable as a sporting area for the rich," she says.

"Normal people won't likely be able to afford a winter sports vacation." DPA Police in Moscow arrest an environmental activist attending a protest in opposition of the Sochi bid. "Sochi wins, the people lose," goes the slogan of the group No Olympic Games, which staged a protest against the bid in Moscow on Tuesday. Dmitry Kokurev and his group of environmental activists want the unique natural environment of the mountains surrounding Sochi to be preserved. But Russian top brass' opinion of his views is quite clear: Despite having obtained official permission for the demonstration from the police, the protest was dispersed and Kokurev temporarily taken into custody. His arguments are difficult to dispute: Plans are afoot to build the Olympic Village right on the edge of the West Caucasus National Park, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Krasnaya Polona ski area, where many events are to be held near Sochi, is also part of a nature reserve. But the Russian government has stated that the construction measures in the protected areas are "socially necessary" and it has lifted many restrictions on building in the runup to the Olympics. Article...

Winter Olympics 2014: All About Sochi Encyclopedia: Ancient Olympics The city of Sochi lies on the east coast of the Black Sea, nestled between the mountains and the sea. Considered the pearl of the “Russian Riviera,” Sochi is a resort town in need of a facelift, and hosting the Games provides a perfect opportunity for such renovations. Even with the highest price tag of any Olympics (and actually exceeding the combined cost of all previous Winter Games), the improvements have been somewhat haphazard. Sochi’s sanitariums, which once housed recuperating workers under Stalin, are a perfect example. While some have been repurposed as boutique hotels, others are left to decay, their neoclassical forms a stark contrast to the shiny new construction. President Vladimir Putin fought hard to win the Olympics for Sochi, dramatically outbidding the two other finalists. The Russian Federation beat out Salzburg, Austria, and Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the honor of host city. As a result, the population of Sochi is expected to increase from 400,000 (comparable to Oakland, Calif.) to 4.4 million during the Games.

Transformation for the Games The key word for these Olympics is accessibility, both small- and large-scale. Because the venues will be used for both the Olympics and the Paralympics, they were constructed with consciousness of access and are being touted as “barrier free.” Visitors and athletes alike should find it easy to navigate both within and between the individual venues. The 11 athletic venues are divided between a mountain and a coastal cluster, with travel time between the two promised to be 30 minutes via brand-new railway—the shortest commute of any Games. Within each cluster, travel time to venues shouldn’t exceed 15 minutes. Coastal Cluster The narrow flatland that is the Imeretinskaya Valley is the setting for the Sochi Olympic Park, which houses all the ice venues—within walking distance of each other—including the Bolshoi Ice Palace, the Maly Ice Palace, the Olympic Oval, the Sochi Olympic Skating Center, and the Olympic Curling Center. The main Olympic Village forms the connecting hub of these venues and makes for a convenient five minute commute time. The capacity of the Olympic Park is 70,000 visitors.

Mountain Cluster The Krasnaya Polyana mountains will be home to the skiing and sliding sports and include Biathlon and Ski Complexes, a Bobsleigh Track, a Ski Center, a Ski Jump Complex, and a Snowboard Park, and Freestyle Center. Another Olympic Village will be the starting point for navigating the mountain cluster, with a projected travel time of less than 15 minutes to each competition venue. They Built It and They Will Come At the heftiest price tag yet, Sochi’s $50 billion Olympic facelift should provide a stunning backdrop to the world’s favorite sporting event. But the one thing that organizer’s can’t control is the weather. That’s not to say they aren’t trying. Remember, Sochi is the Russian Federation’s summer playground. With last year’s winter temperatures in the 60s, there is precedent for concern. Organizers have stockpiled 16 million cubic feet of snow under thermal blankets, installed state-of-the-art snowmaking machines, have on hand specialized snow salt used to delay melting, and set up snow gutters to transport snow from the upper elevations just in case Jack Frost decides to boycott these Olympics.

—Catherine McNiff Cross-Country Skiing - 2014 Winter Olympics - Sochi, RU - Olympics - ESPN Over 100 cross-country skiers have criticized the IOC's approach to anti-doping and have requested a meeting with the world's skiing governing body. about 27 days ago | Bonnie Ford, ESPN Staff Writer The International Olympic Committee says it has opened disciplinary cases against 28 Russian athletes whose urine samples were likely tampered with at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. about 27 days ago | Associated Press Cross-country skier Therese Johaug's two-month provisional suspension has been extended until Feb. 19, Norway's anti-doping agency said Friday. about 34 days ago | Associated Press Slideshow: Best of the Buzz 2016 From the heartwarming to the hilarious (and occasionally to the horrifying), 2016 had it all. Before we ring in 2017, let's take a look back at some of our favorite moments of the year. We'll be counting down our top 25 Buzz stories all week.

about 41 days ago American Jessie Diggins clinched her second individual World Cup victory on Saturday, beating overall leader Heidi Weng by 4.8 seconds on the 5-kilometer, cross-country course. about 47 days ago | Associated Press

Question: In which country is Sochi, the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics?
Answer: Russia